Rush drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Peart has died, according to reports Friday.
According to TMZ.com, the 67-year-old drummer, considered one of the greatest in rock and roll, died Tuesday after battling brain cancer for three years. His representative, Elliot Mintz, said in a statement Friday that Peart died at his home in Santa Monica. The band posted a message on Twitter also confirming the news.
Rush was formed in 1968 in Canada; Peart joined the rock band — consisting of Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, keyboards) and Alex Lifeson (guitars) — in 1974. The drummer was also the talent behind most of the band’s song lyrics, fueling their greatest hits including “Tom Sawyer,” “The Spirit of Radio,” “Limelight,” “Freewill” and New World Man,” among others. Peart retired from performing in 2015 following the group’s final official show.
Peart was born in 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1952 and grew up in the Port Dalhousie neighborhood of St. Catherine’s.
Neil Peart September 12, 1952 - January 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/NivX2RhiB8
— Rush (@rushtheband) January 10, 2020
Peart was known for his extensive live drum solos in concerts, and for his massive drum kits on stage, featuring everything from dozens of drums, cymbals, bells and more.
The band was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, and honored for combining “the signature traits of progressive rock with a proto typical heavy-metal sound.”
More to come ...
Contributing: Associated Press
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